Junior Development Coach Applications Requested

Introduction

The Junior National Program is expanding! After five years of development under head coach Erin Schirm, the Junior National Program is in need of a Junior Development Coach to supplement the activities of the head coach to broaden the Junior National Program and help improve results. Primary responsibilities will include the organization and execution of training camps, recruiting for the program at National Events, and support for athletes already on the team. This is a part-time salaried position; applications are due by September 15, 2017.

About the Junior National Team

The Junior National Team (JNT) was developed six years ago under the oversight of National Team Coach Erin Schirm. Erin developed a program and curricula based on a breadth of knowledge about sports psychology, sports physiology, and copious outreach to other countries’ national teams. In the last six years, Orienteering USA juniors on the JNT have improved their orienteering results across the board, with a trickle-down effect for juniors in the JNT athletes’ home clubs. Erin and the JTESC are constantly asking and refining the question: How do we gain a competitive edge at the international level?

Orienteering in the USA faces significant challenges, such as huge distances, old maps, competition with other sports for our athletes' time, poor social structure for juniors in their clubs, and very little depth to the competition. Despite these challenges, the JNT athletes have improved every year that Erin has coached them, recognizing learning opportunities and developing an attitude of resilience and support for their teammates. The JNT has a strong work ethic that stems from the belief that we can rival the best orienteering nations, and every year is laying the groundwork for future athletes. This dream has been gathering momentum and inspiring juniors around the country.

The Junior National Team re-instated a Junior Development Team (JDT) this year, to broaden the reach of our National Junior Program. Beyond traditional orienteering skills, both JNT and JDT athletes are taught to do self-assessment, race visualization, positive team building and social health, agility training, strength and conditioning. This approach yields a well-rounded athlete who is capable of rebounding from mistakes and supporting teammates even when the situation isn’t perfect.

With the addition of the JDT, the Junior Program has grown to the point where it needs to staff two coaches. The Junior Development Coach position will add a strong pillar to the support team behind our National Junior Program, providing assistance to the National Coach, Erin Schirm, while working with the VP of Competition.

Job Title:

Junior Development Coach

Salary:

$30,000 part-time

Job Description:

The Junior Development Coach will assist with coaching athletes on the Junior Development Team and the Junior National Team.

The Junior Development Coach will assist with organizing and running training camps, including but not limited to promotion and marketing, communication with parents, integration with local clubs, training design and set-up, logistical set-up, post-training feedback, and utilization of social media for post-camp publicity.

The Junior Development Coach will work closely with the Junior National Coach, Erin Schirm, when developing strategy for the future of the Junior National Program, to refine training plans, camp structure, and competition schedules and priorities.

The Junior Development Coach will also work with the VP of Competition to ensure that the Orienteering USA priorities and the National Junior Program priorities align where needed in the Orienteering USA National Event schedule. The Junior Development Coach will report to the VP of Competition for supervision.

Key Tasks:

Monthly phone calls with Junior Development Team athletes

Monitoring Junior Development Team training logs

Advising Junior Development Team athletes about their training

Coaching at minimum three training camps per year

Organizing logistics for training camps

Weekly reporting to Junior National Coach and VP of competition

Recruiting for the JDT from juniors at national, regional, and local events

Supporting Junior National Coach as needed with the JNT

Requirements:

Ability to communicate well as a writer, speaker, and purveyor of social media

Advanced knowledge of the sport of orienteering

Intermediate understanding of the principles of endurance running

Ability to work with athletes 12-20 years old

Basic knowledge of OCAD and orienteering course design programs

Ability to travel for training camps, professional development, and competitions

Travel to at minimum six National Events: the Interscholastic Championships, S/M/L Championships, and Classic Championships, plus three others at coach’s discretion

Experience:

Applicant will have used a professional coach for their own training at any point in their competitive career

Applicant will have led or assisted at least one trip for junior athletes

Location:

Ideally, the Junior Development Coach will be located on the east coast or the midwest, to complement the head coach who is currently on the west coast.

Personality:

The applicant should be enthusiastic, able to relate to and motivate young orienteers, able to lead and guide serious athletes, willing to continue to learn and grow into the job and willing to lead by example.

Application:

Please send your letter of interest with a resume and two references, by September 15, 2017, to the Orienteering USA VP of Competition, Alex Jospe. acjospe [at] gmail.com